Author : Dr. P. D.GUPTA
Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
www.daylife.page
There are many examples of necessary evils in our lives; cell phone is one of those. Clinical trials conducted in rats or mice suggest that radiofrequency (RF) radiation waves can affect sperm quality and lead to histological changes to the testicles, bearing in mind that the conditions met in these trials are very far from our day-to-day exposure to electromagnetic waves, mostly via our cell phones. Something unpleasant that must be accepted in order to achieve a particular result: By the way cell phone system is not discerned lately, ancient Indians knew about it and were used during the Mahabharata time. But it was used very cautiously.
For example, RF radiation from a mobile phone has the biological effect of raising the temperature in a localized area of the brain by a fraction of a degree. This biological effect doesn’t automatically carry any health risks. If RF radiation is high enough, it has a ‘thermal’ effect, which means it raises body temperature. There are concerns that the low levels of RF radiation emitted by mobile phones could cause health problems such as headaches or brain tumours. The human body is equipped to deal with very wide variations in temperature without experiencing harm. In addition to RF radiation road accidents–studies show that using a mobile phone while driving greatly increases the risk of traffic accidents. In Australia talking on a hand-held mobile phone while driving is illegal
How does the mobile phone system work?
• The mobile phone system works like a two-way radio, and includes the individual handset and the base stations. Base station antennae are mounted high off the ground (on a tower or roof) to get the widest coverage. A mobile phone has a radio receiver and a transmitter.
When you make a call, your phone uses radiofrequency (RF) radiation via its antenna to ‘talk’ to a nearby base station. Once the base station has received your signal, your call is directed through the landline phone system.
Mobile phone base stations emit relatively constant levels of RF radiation. The handsets emit levels of RF radiation that vary depending on three things:
• how long you use the phone
• how close you hold the phone to your body
• how close you are to the base station. If the link to the base station is weak, the handset increases its radiation level to compensate.
• The levels of RF radiation from the handset, to which your head is exposed, are around 100 to 1,000 times more intense than exposure from base stations.
Potential Causes
The environment, lifestyle, excess weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, and psychological stress have all been alternately offered up as potential causes, following low-quality epidemiological studies. Cellphones are not exempt from this list, due to their emission of high-frequency (800-2200 MHz) electromagnetic waves that can be absorbed by the body.
The same observation can be made about experiments conducted on human sperm in the test tube, but changes to the latter caused by electromagnetic waves leave doubts. Observational studies are rare, carried out on small scale, and marred by largely conflicting results. Publication bias plays a major role, just as much as the abundance of potential confounding factors does.
An observational study carried out in Switzerland had the benefit of involving a large no of volunteers 2886 young men participated. The participants completed an online questionnaire describing their relationship with their cell phones in detail and in qualitative and quantitative terms.
The study was launched in 2005, before cell phone use became so widespread, and this timeline was considered when looking for a link between cell phone exposure and sperm quality. In addition, multiple adjustments were made in the multivariate analyses to account for as many potential confounding factors as possible.
Infertility affects approximately one in six couples worldwide. More than half the time, it is the man's low sperm quality that is to blame. Over the last three decades, sperm quality seems to have declined for no clearly identifiable reason. Theories are running rampant without anyone having the proof to back them up. The number of hours spent on a smartphone and how it was used were routinely considered, as was sperm quality (volume, concentration, and total sperm count, as well as sperm mobility and morphology).
Significant Associations
The risk for subnormal male fertility levels, as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO), was increased by at most 30%, when referring to the concentration of sperm per mL (21% in terms of total concentration). This inverse link was shown to be more pronounced during the first phase of the study (2005-2007), compared with the other two phases (2008-2011 and 2012-2018). Yet no links involving sperm mobility or morphology were found, and carrying a cell phone in a trouser pocket had no impact on the results.
In the other study certainly involves a large number of nearly 3000 young men. Only prospective cohort studies will allow conclusions to be drawn and, in the meantime, no causal link can be found between exposure to the high-frequency electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones and the risk of infertility. The Mobile phone base stations emit relatively constant levels of RF radiation. The handsets emit levels of RF radiation that vary depending on three things:
• how long you use the phone
• how close you hold the phone to your body
• how close you are to the base station. If the link to the base station is weak, the handset increases its radiation level to compensate.
The levels of RF radiation from the handset, to which your head is exposed, are around 100 to 1,000 times more intense than exposure from base stations.
Effect of temperature on sperm
Ideally, sperm production occurs at around 93.2ºF (34ºC). This is 5.4ºF (3ºC) below normal body temperature of 98.6ºF (37ºC ). But your testicles can get too cold for good sperm production, too. When the temperature of the scrotum or testicles increases, which can happen when you get a fever, sperm production may be impaired significantly and so is the use of cell phone. This can lead to fewer sperm and lower-quality sperm with more genetic abnormalities.
In specimens of semen kept at 37 degrees C sperm lose their motility and viability. They retain their viability if kept at 4 degrees C but lose their motility from so-called thermal shock. The best temperature to keep semen in order to preserve sperm motility is 20 degrees C. The precise length of time that sperm can survive in hot water varies depending on a number of different factors. However, in general, sperm cells do not fare well in water temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
Precautions to reduce mobile phone radiation exposure
Evidence so far suggests that mobile phones aren’t harmful, but long-term risks and consequences are yet to be clarified.
If you are concerned, you can reduce your exposure to RF radiation by:
• choosing a mobile phone model that has a low specific absorption rate (SAR), which refers to the amount of RF radiation absorbed by body tissues
• using a landline phone if one is available
• keeping your mobile phone calls short
• using a hands-free kit
• not carrying your mobile phone close to your body when it is switched on
• being wary of claims that protective devices or ‘shields’ can reduce your exposure to RF radiation – there is no evidence to suggest these devices work. In fact, they can increase RF radiation, because the phone will automatically increase its RF output to combat the effects of the shield to get the best level of communication. (The author has his own study and views)
